Love and Caring and all that Crap
by lobelia07
Summary: Sirius is sick, and annoying, and refuses to leave Remus' healthy bed until he has some soup. SBRL
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- Yeah right. In every fanfiction writer's dreams…. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Author's note- Another day, another story. I'm not sure if I should continue with this one or not. Is it good enough to be expanded, or is it fine on its own? Opinions of every kind are accepted, appreciated, and tolerated so please review. Hope everyone's having a life that's less boring than mine. Have a great day and thanks for reading!

Love and Caring and all that Crap

Sirius Black could be a right prick when he was ill. Remus glared at him upon entering the dorm, incensed that while he had been gone the sick prat had taken up residency in _his_ bed, pathetically sniffling all over _his_ things.

"Padfoot," the sixth year ground out in his best prefect tone of voice, "why are you in my bed?"

"Why not?" Sirius sniffed petulantly. The expression on his friend's face was enough to make him continue with a more satisfactory explanation. "I don't like being in my own bed when I'm sick," he all but whined. "The whole thing feels like it's contaminated or something. I need a healthy person's bed."

Remus stared at the other boy, barely containing the urge to roll his eyes in exasperation. He knew there was no arguing against Sirius' insane logic however, so he merely decided to go along with it. "Alright," he began, "but there are two other beds in here Sirius" – he indicated James and Peter's empty four posters – "two beds that are conveniently vacant for the entire Christmas break. Why not move to one of them?" he finished in what he hoped would come off as politely inquisitive, rather than frustrated and tired.

"Peter's bed smells weird and James, well, you know how obsessed he is with Evans. Think of what he probably _does_ in that bed…."

"Oh Sirius, you're so immature."

"Am not," Sirius protested. "It's only natural, really. I just don't fancy sleeping where one of my best mates has been _enjoying_ himself."

"And you don't think I do so in my bed?" Remus asked, slightly repulsed by the images Sirius was bringing to mind.

"You're the real brains of the group – you're smart enough to do it in the shower."

"Gee Sirius, thanks. I'm glad you think so highly of me," Remus grumbled sarcastically.

"No problem Moony." Sirius smiled a deceptively innocent smile and wiped his nose on his sleep shirt. _ Classic Black charm_, Remus thought to himself in disgust.

"What is it going to take for you to get out of my bed?"

"Out?" Sirius questioned, an almost convincing look of hurt spread across his face. "But Moony, I'm so comfortable. You want me to get better right?"

"You could die and leave me in peace," Remus mumbled inaudibly.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Look Padfoot, I just finished a thirteen inch essay for Slughorn on truth potions. I suck at potions. I'm tired. Isn't there something I could do for you so that I can sleep in my own bed?"

"Oh, I don't know…."

"Sirius, please?"

The black haired boy looked at his friend's pleading expression, contemplating. And then he said, "My mother never made me soup when I was sick."

Remus blinked. "Uh, I'm sorry," he said, slightly taken aback by such a random statement.

"Yeah," Sirius went on, "she usually just gave me a spoonful of Pepperup Potion and sent me on my way. Moms are supposed to make their kids soup – it makes them better. Something about love or caring or some crap like that…."

"I'm familiar with the concept," said Remus wryly. "So what – do you want me to go down to the kitchens and get you soup or something?"

Sirius laughed in the middle of a cough. "No, no of course not!" Remus breathed a small sigh of relief. "What good would that be? I want you to make it."

"E-excuse me?"

"Remember Rem, my cold, heartless mother? What would really make me feel better right now is a nice bowl of care-filled soup. It's something I've never had before – something that would make a world of difference!"

"You're playing the 'my mother neglected me as a child' card again, you know? Eventually it's going to get old."

"I'll get out of your bed," Sirius grinned. "Come on Moony, one bowl of soup."

"But I can't make soup!" Remus complained with a great amount of zealous frustration. "I'd end up making you sicker than you already are."

"Oh that can't be true," said Sirius. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

"You're sure?" Remus asked. "You're _sure_? Sirius, remember when you were _sure_ that Lily wouldn't reject James for the thousandth time if he gave her that lewd piece of lingerie you told him to buy? Remember when you were _sure_ that the giant squid would push Peter back out of the lake if you shoved him in? Rememb –"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Sirius interrupted. "So my judgment can be a little off sometimes. I still think I can handle whatever you manage to cook up. Besides, it's the feeling behind it that counts."

Remus sighed. "Fine. So I'll go down to the kitchens, whip you up a batch of something that's likely to be poisonous, bring it back, and you'll get out of my bed?"

"No."

"_No_?"

"You can't make it down _there_," Sirius said as if the mere idea of it was absurd. "How will I know that you actually made it yourself?"

"You don't trust me?"

"Remember that time I thought I could _trust_ you to switch out McGonagall's tea cup with one of those nose-biting ones from Zonko's? Or the time I _trusted_ you to set off those Dungbombs in the fourth floor corridor?"

"So I don't participate in every one of your and James' plans to get us expelled. This is completely different."

"You can bring the ingredients up here," Sirius shrugged. "We have cauldrons – just light a fire under one and we're good."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're extremely high maintenance?" said Remus, making his way toward James' bed as he spoke. Their newly completely and more than necessary _Marauder's Map_ was secured under the bed's mattress and Remus was sure to need it for his trip to the kitchens.

"A few times, I suppose," Sirius replied lightheartedly.

Remus groped around under James' mattress for a few moments before realizing that the map simply wasn't there. "Uh, Padfoot?"

"Yeah?" Sirius spoke through the tissue over his nose.

"We sort of have a problem – the map isn't here."

"Wh – ? Oh I'm going to kill James."

"Why would James take the map home with him? I never pegged him as being too especially nostalgic for school life."

"He's a paranoid git, that's why," Sirius said ruefully. He has this theory that Dumbledore and McGonagall are having some sort of secret love affair – been insisting that there's something going on between them. I imagine he's monitoring the map to see if anything happens over break."

Remus just stared. "Sometimes you all make me very sad, you know that? You'd think, being a werewolf and all, I would be the weirdest one of the group."

"Hey," began Sirius indignantly, "It's not like _I'm_ doing it. I mean, it's a fine theory to be sure, but I'm not nutters enough to watch the map expecting the two to shag in Dumbledore's office or something."

Attempting vainly to ignore _that_ disturbing image, Remus said, "Well, the point of the matter is that we don't have the map and James also has the cloak. There's no way I can make it down to the kitchens and back without risking being caught be Filch. Think how that would look – I'm a prefect. I only made it back from the library just in time to meet curfew as it is!"

"Hmm," Sirius mused, "I guess you'll just have to use whatever we have up here then."

"You're kidding, right?" asked Remus skeptically. "Sirius, all we have locked up in the infamous Marauder store cupboard – better known as my bottom dresser drawer – is every piece of candy Peter managed to get his hands on the last time we went to Honeyduke's and five bottles of firewhisky that you somehow convinced Madam Rosmerta to give you."

"You can make something out of that – just use your imagination."

Gawking rather unattractively at the other boy for a moment, Remus replied, "Okay, fine. But if my imagination gets you killed, you can't exactly blame me."

With a smirk of apparent satisfaction, Sirius said, "My dear, sweet Moony, I wouldn't even if I could."

Remus trudged over to the small chest of drawers beside his bed, kneeled down, and began searching through the bottommost one. Trying not to become too mesmerized by the countless colorful wrappers and packages, he weeded his way through the din of sweets in search for something that could possibly become soup-like. Under the annoying gaze of his sick but cheerful friend, he pushed aside several Licorice Wands, some boxes of Every Flavor Beans, and two Cauldron Cakes that were stuck together.

And that's when he saw them. Just left of a few shattered sugar quills were three large bars of Honeyduke's best chocolate. Milk, dark, and white. It was perfect. Lifting each bar out slowly, as if they were made out of priceless gold, Remus decided what kind of 'soup' he intended to make.

"And welcome home Moony," came Sirius' voice. "Geez, you look like you've just discovered Heaven on Earth or something. Would you like me to leave you alone with the chocolate?"

"Oh shut it," Remus snapped in half-hearted indignation. "You know, it's really quite annoying having someone watch your every move as it is. Do you mind keeping your mouth closed for a while?"

"Fine, fine. I won't say another word."

Remus watched Sirius for a moment more, far from convinced that the boy could actually remain silent, and then retrieved the cauldron from the trunk at the end of his four poster. After putting out a minor fire on his curtains caused by the cauldron's close proximity to the bed, he began unwrapping the chocolate and dropping it into the pot one square at a time. Heating quickly, the chocolate began to melt, its three shades gradually becoming one. Remus stirred the mixture with a spoon he managed to conjure out of thin air and watched as the swirls of different chocolates blended into a single smooth color.

Returning to his dresser, Remus removed a bottle of firewhisky from the bottom drawer. He added a fair amount of the potent drink to his concoction for an extra bit of flavor, then conjured up a bowl and spoon for Sirius. With the large spoon he used for stirring, he ladled some chocolate into the bowl and handed it up to his friend.

"There," he said, leaning back against a post of Sirius' bed to wait for a reaction.

Sirius looked down at the bowl momentarily and then stuck his index finger in the chocolate as if testing the waters. He withdrew it and put it in his mouth, licking and sucking the sweet liquid until the finger was clean again. Remus had a feeling he had watched this action too intently to be considered normal.

"Wow Rem, this is excellent," Sirius breathed, eagerly picking up the spoon to eat more. "The blend of flavors is perfect. I knew you could do it." Remus smiled despite his friend's inflated ego. "You definitely need to have some of this. Come on, join me." And he moved over on the bed to make room.

Knowing better than to argue, the werewolf once again conjured a spoon and bowl and served himself. Making sure the fire was out before doing so, he climbed up to sit next to Sirius on the bed.

The chocolate was wonderful Remus realized with a jolt as he licked off the edge of the spoon. The creamy flavor of the milk and white bars provided a nice contrast for the slight bite of the dark chocolate. And the addition of firewhisky sent a warm feeling of comfort from the pit of his stomach to the tips of his fingers.

"Good, huh?" said Sirius. "I doubt my mother could make better." He had already devoured his bowl of soup and was now attempting to get every last drop from the sides with his tongue and fingers. He brought one finger covered with chocolate up to his mouth, but before he could lick it clean Remus said, "Oh for Merlin's sake, use a spoon Sirius."

"Oh," Sirius grinned wickedly, "am I bothering you Moony?" He changed directions with his finger and prodded Remus' face, leaving smears of chocolate all down his cheek. Remus sat stoically for the briefest of moments before 'casually' trying to wipe it off. Still with that ill-boding smile, Sirius stuck his finger in his mouth, licking it slowly and deliberately just to annoy his friend. Remus' mouth went dry and he looked away.

"You are insufferable," he said.

"Lovably insufferable," replied Sirius.

"Yeah, right," Remus sighed, setting his empty bowl upon the floor and laying back against his pillow. "Everybody loves Sirius Black."

"You know it."

Remus yawned and closed his eyes as Sirius flew into an explanation of everyone who loved him and their justified reasons for doing so. It was a few minutes before the boy had enough sense to realize that Remus had fallen asleep.

Ceasing his egotistic rant, Sirius watched Remus, his chest rising and falling evenly, his eyelids fluttered closed in a quiet slumber. The animagus hesitated and then leaned down close to Remus' face, feeling his breath wash over him warmly. Gently, he kissed away the remaining chocolate at the corner of the boy's mouth.

"Thanks," he whispered softly.

With minimal sniffing, Sirius went back to his own bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer – Do I even have to say it? Anyone who reads this and thinks J.K. Rowling wrote it obviously has never picked up a Harry Potter book.

Author's note – Yeah, I decided to continue it. This chapter is really short, I know, but I needed to establish where I want to go with it. That and I won't be able to post for a while because my computer is out of sorts and desperately needs to be fixed. I'll get to the rest of the story though, and in the mean time, here's chapter 2.

Love and Caring and all that Crap

Chapter 2

The staircase had to move at that precise moment. He had _willed_ it not to, had _prayed_ that it wouldn't, but it had betrayed him and now Remus Lupin was alone in a deserted corridor with Sirius Black. He knew, instinctively perhaps, that he was trapped. It was in the way that Sirius leaned ever so casually against the stone wall before him, arms crossed and grey eyes ablaze with accusation, telling him without words that he wouldn't be allowed to pass. It was in the way that everything suddenly felt smaller and the air closer, so that he wished with every fiber of his being that inside could somehow become outside. In the way that he _knew_ his only way back up to Gryffindor Tower was through the boy in front of him. Remus was trapped, and being presently at a loss for words, he silently cursed Hogwarts and its damn magic staircases.

"Well, well," his captor sneered. "Hello Moony, what have you been up to?"

Remus took in a slow, calming breath. Revealing none of his discomfort with the situation, he replied coolly, "Not much. Nothing that you wouldn't already know about of course. Where are James and Peter?" Term had started a week ago and the return of the other two Marauders had thankfully brought back a sense of disruption and distraction to the dorm. Remus should have known better than to think Sirius would latch on to this change of topic, though.

"Around," he said, smoothly brushing the question away like a speck of dirt.

"Around where?"

"Oh stop it, Remus. Stop trying desperately to change the subject. I've had enough of it lately. You've been avoiding me."

"What?" said Remus, attempting to look hurt and confused – even outraged. "I have not b – "

"Just a hint," Sirius interrupted, "when you want to deny that you're avoiding someone, don't first hardly speak to them for two weeks. And don't spend every waking minute in the library when that person knows you finished your homework ages ago. Oh, and it's probably a good idea not to take the long way up to the dormitories _every day_ after dinner just because you know that the other person is too lazy to follow."

This was all true, of course, though Remus was hardly about to admit it. He sighed instead and said, "Now Padfoot, why would I want to avoid you? That's ridiculous."

"Yeah, it does seem pretty ridiculous. That's why I'd like to know why you're doing it."

But Remus obviously couldn't tell him _that_. He simply couldn't say that ever since the Christmas holidays his already confused thoughts about his friend had gotten even more confusing. He couldn't tell Sirius that, after seeing the boy lick those slender fingers clean, he often fantasized about what other uses that tongue could be put to. He couldn't take that risk – wouldn't. So he tried his best to make something up.

"I'm sorry, Sirius," he said softly, casting his eyes downward in apparent resignation and shame. "You are right, of course. I don't know … it's not just you really. There's been a lot of stuff piling up on me lately, and with the full moon being so close I feel like I just need to be alone – concentrate, wallow, whatever." _That's it, play to the melodramatic werewolf thing. The full moon excuse always works._

"Oh yeah, the full moon," Sirius said thoughtfully, seemingly buying into this explanation. "What is that, like five days away?" Remus merely nodded. "Maybe you just need more rest then."

"Yeah," agreed Remus, "you're probably right. In fact," he added, spotting a window of escape, "I think I'll go find Alice and see if she can cover for my prefect duties tonight. She's probably still down in the Great Hall with Frank…."

"Sounds good," Sirius said as Remus edged past him, hardly breathing. Then he grasped the boy's shoulder just as he made to disappear down a short-cut to the lower levels of the castle.

Remus gasped just slightly and Sirius felt him tense beneath his hand. "Yes?" Remus breathed.

"Remember when you told me that my neglectful mother ploy was getting old?"

"Y-yeah," said Remus warily, not sure why Sirius would bring that up now.

"Your card is running out too."

Remus didn't know what to say, but was saved the trouble of figuring it out as Sirius released him and turned to head back to Gryffindor Tower. He watched him round the corner, all the time hating himself for missing the warm weight on his shoulder.

* * *

Sirius just didn't get it. Remus had been acting strangely around him for at least two weeks now. Never looking him directly in the eye, slipping away with lame excuse after lame excuse, not even telling him off for bewitching that suit of armor on the fourth floor to grab that first year and tie her up with a string of Christmas baubles…. It just wasn't right, it wasn't normal. Why would Remus avoid him? Why would he lie to him? And how could he not expect that Sirius knew him well enough not to believe that lie for a second?

Maybe Remus knew what happened that night – Sirius' stomach clenched painfully – maybe he really wasn't asleep when he kissed him. "That would certainly explain a lot," he muttered aloud, conversing with his own thoughts. _Like, for instance, how tense Remus was when he touched him just now. He seemed almost afraid even…._

Sirius stopped suddenly, just before the portrait hole. What if Remus _did_ know what he had done? What if he was disgusted or angry or repulsed? Sirius knew it wasn't like Remus to be judgmental or hateful in any way, but he couldn't blame the boy if he thought he was some sort of freak now.

"Are you going to give me the password, or are you quite content with standing stupidly in the middle of the corridor?" a terse voice broke through his thoughts.

Sirius looked up at the Fat Lady without really seeing her. He had to know what Remus knew, and how he felt. Of course, this was rather difficult to find out when the werewolf wouldn't even speak to him for longer than five minutes at a time. There was only one thing he could do – one way that Remus would be completely honest with him. He didn't know where he would be able to get Veritaserum, though, so he'd have to settle for simply pissing him off instead. Remus always spilled everything when he was angry.

"Glumbumble," Sirius supplied absently, then clambered through the open portrait hole toward James and Peter on the far side of the common room. As he watched Peter get slaughtered in a game of chess, he began to quietly contemplate the best way to make Remus really, really mad.

* * *

Author's note – Yeah, so there's the filler chapter. I'll try to make it more interesting in the next one, I promise. Please review, and thanks for reading. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer- Harry Potter would certainly not be as popular if I had written it – and for good reason.

Author's note- Chapter three, aw I'm so proud. Thanks to whoever has been waiting. This story should come to an end sometime soon, so please hang in there. Hope you like it and, as always, please review even if you didn't.

Love and Caring and all that Crap

Chapter 3

"Sirius." Sitting in the back row of the Transfiguration classroom ten minutes before the bell was due to ring, Sirius heard the voice but didn't immediately register it. "_Sirius_." Staring blankly ahead, trying to think and failing miserably. "_Padfoot_!" A sharp dig of an elbow to his ribcage snapped him out of his reverie and he glared reproachfully at James, who had been trying to get his attention for the past ten minutes.

"What?" he hissed.

"Are you sure you still want to go through with this?"

Sirius paused, glancing first at the clock, then at Professor McGonagall, then at the boy seated at the table in front of him. Was he sure? Absolutely not. But he had to find out what was wrong with Remus. Maybe once he did, he would be able to fix whatever happened, hopefully along with the mess he was about to cause today.

He looked back at James, whom he had trusted enough to at least ask for help. He told himself that James didn't need to know the whole story – not yet. While he had no doubts that his friend would be supportive of him to almost any end, he also knew that the thoroughly straight other boy would probably bring up some nonsense about being offended for not being Sirius' first choice. He didn't want to deal with the inevitable offhand jokes at the moment.

"Yeah," Sirius whispered, trying not to attract the wrathful eye of his professor, "let's do it."

Nodding, James faced forward once more and breathed a barely noticeable sigh.

When the bell rang to signal the end of class, Sirius jumped up sharply as if electrically shocked. As the rest of the students gathered their things with a flurry of noise, he left James behind with Peter and strode quickly to catch up with a hurried Remus. He followed him out into the corridor, making certain that he was just close enough….

A rumble of thunder shook the castle and told Sirius that his plan had been put into motion. Few students stopped to regard the disruptive noise. After all, rain was hardly uncommon at Hogwarts. They only began halting in their tracks when the first drops fell. Several people glanced around at each other. Something was definitely wrong – they could_ feel_ the rain. Even at a school of witchcraft and wizardry, it did not rain inside.

Sirius watched Remus' eyes slowly shift to gaze upward at the ceiling with those of the people around them. Already knowing what to expect, he too looked up in spite of himself. Directly above his position in the hallway, clouds were beginning to form and spread; great, swirling, grey masses of clouds that tumbled over one another and produced forks of bright, white lightning. It appeared upon first sight like the Great Hall, but instead of merely mirroring the weather outside, a storm had actually formed in the middle of the corridor. Sirius smiled. James was truly a talented wizard.

Many people gasped and a few screamed when there was another crash of thunder. Sirius tore his eyes from the sight just in time to see Professor McGonagall burst through the crowd of students still congregated around her classroom door. Grabbing Remus' hand, he pulled the boy along behind him, taking off down the corridor as it began to pour.

A wave of screams broke out around them and people began to scatter in every direction. Remus allowed himself to be led around a corner and down another hallway which was quickly starting to flood. Slipping on the wet floor, Sirius tried his best to come to a stop just before a small broom closet. He wrenched the door open, dashed inside, yanked Remus in behind him, and slammed the closet door against the torrential rain in the corridor.

Both boys stood panting for a moment. The closet was so small that Sirius could feel every breath Remus took. Each time he inhaled, Sirius got just a little bit colder, and with every shaky exhalation – every time the werewolf's warm breath brushed his face, moved his hair – the chill from his damp skin was replaced with a sort of tingling heat. It was mesmerizing – and soothing.

Remus caught his breath long enough to finally speak. "What – what the bloody hell was that?" he said. "How – ? I mean, how could that possibly happen?"

Shrugging, Sirius shook his head violently to remove the excess water from his hair. "James," he said simply, sitting down as comfortably as he could on a box of _Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover_.

Remus closed his eyes, having just received a face-full of water. He slowly wiped it away before ringing out his own hair and saying, "What? What was the purpose of that? Not that I don't enjoy having to dry off all of my books," he added grimly, tossing his wet bag to the ground.

"Sorry 'bout that," Sirius said in a genuine apology, "Prongs was just helping me out a bit is all."

"Oh? And how is that? Did you think merely mopping the floors just wasn't good enough anymore?"

Sirius smiled into the darkness of the closet, both out of amusement and out of the vain hope that by doing so he could somehow soften the impact of his next words. "No," he began. "I told James I needed to talk to you and, being the amazing mischief maker that he is, he helped me come up with a plan."

Water was starting to slowly make its way into the tiny room from beneath the door and a flash of lightning briefly illuminated the closet's interior. Both went unnoticed. Sirius couldn't see Remus' expression in the dim light around them, but he felt the atmosphere change so abruptly that he wasn't quite sure if he had actually caught it. "What?" Remus said, steady but with a slightly dangerous undercurrent.

"I really don't care for being avoided, Rem," Sirius replied.

A frustrated sigh and then, "You're on _that _again? Sirius I-I'm not avoiding you! If you wanted to talk you could just ask – "

"Oh don't give me that bullshit," Sirius interrupted irritably. "I tried to confront you and you scampered off on the back of another one of your damn excuses."

"I was _tired_, I – you didn't have to recruit James to flood the entire first floor corridor! Do you know how much damage this has probably caused? God, Sirius, do you think at all?"

Sirius opened his mouth in a blind retort but was cut short when the closet door suddenly opened. Being wrapped up in their rather heated discussion, neither of them had realized that the lightning and thunder had at last ceased. Turning their heads, they found themselves gazing into the irate face of their Head of House. Professor McGonagall appeared to be completely soaked through with rain water. Her robes dripped steadily with the walls, paintings, and tapestries in the corridor. Beads of water collected on the rim of her glasses and rolled down the bridge of her nose. Her bun of hair, already tied so low at the base of her neck, seemed to hang even lower with the added weight. The sight would have provoked the two boys to laugh hysterically had it not been for the look of utmost fury she was shooting them.

"My office. Now." She released the doorknob that had been shaking beneath her hand and turned on the spot, splashing down the hallway.

Sirius and Remus followed immediately, Remus glaring at the other boy with a look that Sirius took plainly to mean, '_You are a stupid, stupid person_.'

* * *

"You two have some nerve," McGonagall said in a voice more deadly than shouting. Not even bothering to move from her stance behind her desk, she slammed the office door after them with a flick of her wand. Remus flinched. He didn't think it was possible for his professor to become even angrier than the time Sirius and James had been caught jumping off of the Astronomy Tower onto each other's brooms, but it appeared that she had. "Sit," she spat.

With the smallest shadow of amusement, Remus noted how quickly Sirius complied with this instruction. His inner dog….

"Six years I've had to put up with four of the most troublesome Gryffindors this school has ever seen. Six _years _of you flouting every rule in the book and marauding about the castle as if you owned the place – Mr. Black, what could you possibly be smiling at?"

Remus rolled his eyes as he glanced over at his friend. The boy was tactless. _Honestly_, one simple mention of the word 'marauding….'

Sirius cleared his throat, straightened his face, and said, "Er, sorry Professor."

"I'm tired of it," McGonagall continued. "It's a wonder you all haven't been expelled. What are you going to do after graduation? What kind of job do you expect to obtain that would put up with your immature – and often dangerous – antics? Someday you're going to have to realize that if you ever hope to achieve anything worthwhile, you will need to put away the pranks and _grow up_."

She allowed a moment of echoing silence for this statement to really sink in and then said, "Now, for you detention – "

"Er, with all due respect Professor McGonagall," Remus began carefully, "I really didn't have anything to do with this. I mean, Sirius just grabbed me after it all started and – "

"Mr. Lupin, you are already pushing your prefect status as it is and you want to add lying to the mess you're in? I've had at least three students tell me that they saw you and Mr. Black here cast that spell and run away before anyone else had even moved."

Remus blinked. Who – ?

"Both of you will come back here after dinner tonight and clean up the entire floor. Mr. Filch will monitor you. In addition, every Saturday before the Easter holidays you will be in my office to assist me with whatever it is I might need help with. Is that clear?" They nodded. "Good. You may leave."

* * *

Remus glared at his mashed potatoes. He looked up, glared at Sirius who was sitting two seats down, and then returned to his plate to glare at his uneaten chicken as well. He couldn't believe what had happened. McGonagall hadn't even given him a chance to explain his side of the story. And Sirius was certainly no help. Aside from actually causing this entire screwed up situation in the first place, the boy hadn't tried to support him at all when Remus attempted to prove his own innocence. And who in the wizarding world went up to McGonagall and told her that _he_ had cast that bloody spell?

"Pay up, Black."

Remus' thoughts were interrupted as his head snapped once more in Sirius' direction. Ellen Slater had approached the animagus, face stern and arms crossed.

"Why hello Ellen, how are you today?" Sirius asked with his ever-obnoxious grin.

"Five sickles Black. Potter said five sickles if I spoke to McGonagall."

"Right, I forgot about that part." Remus watched Sirius fish around for the pouch of money he kept somewhere in the pocket of his robes. "Here you go," he said, handing over five silver coins after he'd finally retrieved it. "Thanks for your trouble. Oh, and do you happen to know who else I owe?"

Ellen paused on the way back to her seat and said, "Erm, Cathy I know, and that bloke from Ravenclaw with the big ears."

"Great –thanks."

Remus looked on with a kind of horrible fascination as Sirius counted out ten more sickles and made to get up from the table. Apparently feeling his gaze, Sirius stopped for the briefest of moments, turned to him and said, "Yeah Moony, I do think."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer- You're delusional if you think I wrote Harry Potter. Sometimes I wish I was that delusional….

Author's Note- Sorry it took so long, but a small bit of writer's block and a whole lot of school kinda delayed me. Oh well, here it is. Hope it didn't turn out too bad. Though don't be afraid to review and tell me if it did!

Love and Caring and all that Crap

Chapter 4

He never liked leaving dinner early. Once in the entrance hall the clanging of silverware against plates and the chatter of students and professors – the sounds of life – became so distant. To Remus, it almost felt like he was missing out on something. After what Sirius had just done, however, he couldn't stand to stay another minute. Why couldn't the boy just let things go? He was always so annoying, so persistent, so _obsessive_. It was infuriating. And now Remus was in trouble for something he had nothing to do with – something that Sirius deliberately intended him to get caught for.

He took in a deep, shaky breath and let the sounds from the Great Hall wash over him for a moment longer before pushing open one of the great oak doors and stepping out into the night. The stars were only just beginning to appear between the clouds. The moon, so near to being full, was completely obscured. Remus had just sat down upon the stone steps of the castle, finally finding one minute of peace within the absurdity of his day, when the door behind him opened once more.

"Moony?" It was James. Remus closed his eyes, inwardly groaning but choosing not to say a word. "Er, I just, um, wanted to apologize," said James. "I mean, for helping to get you in trouble with McGonagall. Sirius just – "

"Sirius just doesn't know how to mind his business," Remus interrupted harshly. James fell into an awkward silence, but Remus wasn't paying attention. He was thinking about every time Sirius had ever pried, poked, or picked his way into the secrets of his life.

"I was going to say that he can sometimes get a bit carried away," James said quietly, "but that works too…."

"A bit carried away?" Remus turned around and gazed at the other boy skeptically. "James, when Sirius wanted to ask me why I disappeared every month he led you and Peter in some elaborate scheme to ambush me as I came out of the toilet one day. He always has to know everything. Some things he just doesn't need to know." He turned back around and breathed slowly, methodically. He wished he didn't feel this way. More than anything he wished that there weren't so many things about him that set him apart from everyone else and constantly risked his relationships with other people. Remus couldn't expect his friends to keep accepting just how different he really was. He didn't even want to think about what Sirius would think after discovering that his _werewolf_ best mate, a _bloke_, was attracted to him.

Remus sensed James' hesitation before the be-speckled boy took a seat next to him on the steps. "Look, you know Padfoot," James began, "he doesn't much give a damn what most people think about him. Hell, he makes up crackpot stories about himself just so half the student population will talk about him or conclude that he is indeed completely nutters." James grinned sourly. "But when it comes to the people that matter…. Moony, he needs us. Sirius doesn't like to think that he could lose any of his closest friends, that there could be even the faintest shadow of a possibility that a problem could exist between him and one of us. Especially you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Remus, curiously surprised and only slightly cynical.

James looked as if he didn't quite know how to word his thoughts. "I, well, I'm sort of like the replacement for Sirius' ass of a brother. Wormtail, he's just there and Sirius tolerates him. But you – Remus you're the one that Sirius talks to. He trusts you. Not with pranks and such, as that would fall under my job description, but he does trust you. With how he thinks, what he feels, who he is. Padfoot thinks I'm an oblivious idiot, but I see how important you are to him."

James caught Remus' eye and Remus held the gaze questioningly. And then James got up to leave. "Just don't tear him apart until you've really heard him out, alright? I don't know if you're avoiding him or not, but he does need you."

Remus nodded. "Yeah, okay."

"Oh, and Moony?" James continued.

"Hmm?"

"Ten chocolate frogs next time we go to Honeydukes?"

"I have to ring out the entire first floor, James. Not to mention the never-ending detentions with McGonagall."

"Right," James said with a grimace. "Ten frogs, three packs of Droobles, and as many Licorice Wands as you want."

"Sounds good." Remus smiled half-heartedly and watched the other boy go back into the castle. With a quick glance at a moon he could only see by sensing its location, he too got to his feet and slipped through the massive front doors.

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The first floor was submerged under at least an inch of water. Soggy papers and books littered the ground where students had abandoned them in search of some sort of shelter. Most of the portraits hanging along the walls were blurred where water had touched paint; irate, smeared occupants were grumbling within their frames.

Remus splashed down the corridor, his almost dry shoes becoming thoroughly wet once more. Taking in the full extent of his surroundings, he reflected dully that the job wouldn't take nearly as long as it was going to if McGonagall hadn't confiscated his wand half-way up the marble staircase. At least the rest of the school was done with their dinner and had already returned to their dormitories. Remus didn't want to deal with anymore girls approaching him to tell him off for ruining their hair….

"Well this should be interesting." Remus felt himself involuntarily tense at the sound of Sirius' voice. He spun around to face the other boy, but decidedly refused to respond for fear of completely losing it. Luckily – and it was a measure of how much he really did not want to speak to Sirius at the moment that he found it lucky – Filch shuffled into the corridor just behind Sirius carrying all manner of cleaning supplies.

"Enough chatting," the caretaker wheezed. "I have to be here long enough without you two delaying everything with your incessant talking."

Refraining from rolling his eyes, Remus turned them instead upon a shivering bulge in the pocket of Filch's robes. "Er, sir," he began, pointing at the still-squirming lump, "what's that?"

Filch blinked and glanced down at his pocket. "Oh – Mrs. Norris," he muttered to himself, reaching with one gnarled hand to pull out what appeared to be a ball of fuzz with unnaturally yellow eyes.

"What _is_ it?" Sirius asked, extending his hand to prod the small furry creature. He withdrew it soon after a tiny paw shot forward and clawed at his fingers. "Ow – bloody hell!" he cursed, quickly sticking his index finger in his mouth and sucking the blood from his wound.

"Oh, bloody hell," Remus murmured, averting his eyes.

Filch ignored them both and cradled the vicious kitten against his chest lovingly. "_This_, Black, is Mrs. Norris. I'm training her to help me keep the students of this school in line."

"A cat is supposed to keep us from dropping dung bombs and staying out past curfew?" Sirius asked, raising an incredulous eyebrow.

"Cats happen to be very trustworthy and clever animals Black," Filch spat with literal spit. Remus couldn't be sure, but he thought he heard his friend barely utter, "I've always liked dogs myself…."

"So what's its name then?" Sirius inquired curiously.

"I already told you her name Black," replied Filch. "Mrs. Norris."

"Well yeah, _Mrs._ Norris. So Norris is her last name. But what's her _first_ name?"

"Shut up Black." And with this, Filch handed each of them a mop and several sponges, told them to get to work, and retreated to a nearby corner to talk to his cat.

Remus ignored Sirius' attempts to catch his eye and began mopping the floor, periodically ringing out the water into a bucket. The work was tedious, and Remus had the feeling that he wasn't going to get any studying done tonight. Lifting his head slightly to shoot Sirius yet another look that read purely, '_This is all your fault,' _he noticed that the other boy kept checking his watch. Remus felt his stomach clench with a feeling of foreboding that was not for the first time directly connected to Sirius.

Sure enough, after ten minutes of no progress whatsoever and Sirius hardly ungluing his gaze from his watch, an echoing bang sounded from some distant part of the castle. Filch's head snapped up instantly and Mrs. Norris had gone rigid. "Peeves," the caretaker said simply before ordering Sirius and Remus to stay put and taking off, kitten in hand, down the slippery corridor.

Remus barely looked up. "Another brilliant plan of yours no doubt," he said, picking up a copy of _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six_, and tossing it onto a pile of other destroyed textbooks. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sirius shrug, leaning casually on a mop and watching him.

"Peeves likes to piss off Filch. What better time to do it then when we're stuck in detention?"

"We wouldn't be stuck in detention if it wasn't for you," Remus snapped bitterly, plunging his mop to the floor with more intensity than was typically needed for mopping.

"I am largely to blame, yes," said Sirius, "but if you had just talked to me…." Remus didn't reply. They'd had this conversation so many times and he was tired of talking in circles.

"Look Moony, I'm sorry about the whole getting you into trouble thing. I know being a prefect is really important to you and that I could've really screwed that up . I just need to know what I did wrong. I have to know how you feel."

Remus looked briefly into Sirius' pleading eyes and then said, "I think I'll head further down the corridor. You can take this half and I'll take the other…." He bent down to pick up the bucket but was stopped as Sirius' hand grabbed his wrist.

"Rem," he said. Remus stiffened instinctively, his hand slowly curling into a fist. He knew that Sirius knew he could hurt him if he really wanted to. He also knew that Sirius didn't care.

"Fine," Remus said, standing up straight once more. "Since you have to push so damn hard, since you have to dig so deep and risk ruining everything, I'll tell you. Because you _have_ to know," he added scathingly. Again he looked Sirius in the eye, hating that he liked him so much, despising the way that this boy could make him give in, always give in. "I _fancy _you Sirius. I like you. Not just as a brother, not just as a friend. I really_ like_ you. Are you happy now? Still wish I wasn't avoiding y – "

Sirius interrupted by shoving his friend against the closest smudged painting he could find, causing both mops to come clattering to the floor and knocking a bucket so fiercely that it came dangerously close to tipping. Remus, taken by surprise, didn't say another word and instead watched Sirius swallow nervously before saying, "So this really has nothing to do with me kissing you?"

"Kiss – what?" Remus spluttered.

"You know, when I thought you were asleep and, well, er…." Sirius studied Remus' expression curiously.

"_What_ are you talking about?" the werewolf asked, irritated and confused. "Is this supposed to be some kind of joke that I seriously don't get, because if you hate me I'd rather just kn – "

Sirius pressed in closer, every part of him touching every part of Remus. Knees to knees, thighs to thighs, chest to chest. Remus gasped as Sirius shifted slightly so that their faces were just a breath apart. It was at this distance that the animagus chose to whisper, "Remus, I fancy you too."

"Oh," Remus sighed. He leaned into Sirius' kiss – a first kiss that was far less awkward than it should have been. Warm and wet, sweet and long. Sirius pulled away and Remus could still feel him on his swollen lips. Smiling, he reached for the other boy's hand – the one that still lingered in his hair – and grasped it tightly within his own.

"Ow," Sirius said in a tone that was more matter-of-fact than anything else. Clearly not expecting this particular response, Remus released his friend's hand and watched as Sirius shook it rapidly.

"Geez, what did I do?" Remus asked, trying not to appear too offended.

"It wasn't you – it was that damn cat. _And _it's bleeding again." Sirius held out his finger to reveal a small, bleeding cut, and then brought it up to his mouth to clean it in his traditional Sirius way.

Before he got the opportunity, however, Remus broke in with an exasperated, "Oh for the love of – Sirius, give me your fucking hand." Not even waiting for a response, the boy grabbed the bloody finger and licked it clean himself. The metallic taste of blood was a far cry from chocolate, but Remus decided that as long as Sirius was attached, he was happy.

"Hmm," Sirius mused, grinning annoyingly, "I feel like I've been doing it wrong this whole time."

"And that's why you have me Padfoot," Remus smiled back, uncomfortably comfortable between the blurred landscape behind him and the boy before him, "I'll take care of you."

The End


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